County Magazine

After years of disasters, the Texas Panhandle is experiencing rare calm. Once-raging fires have subsided, and the land is green again, but scars remain — etched into the soil and the lives of those who rely on it. Agriculture, long the region’s backbone, has been reshaped by crises, forcing a redefinition of survival. Wildfires, droughts and disease outbreaks have ravaged the land, and no disaster seems out of the question.

In April 2023, an explosion at South Fork Dairy Farm in Castro County killed 18,000 cows. Flooding along the Canadian River in June killed 4,000 cattle. A year later, avian flu led to the culling of 2 million hens in Parmer County. Perhaps the greatest tragedy came in February, when the Smokehouse Creek Fire burned 1.2 million acres, killing more than 7,000 cattle in Texas’ largest cattle-producing region.

“We wanted to do more for the grasslands and the cattle, but the people are more important,” said Hutchinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jerry Langwell. “It’s also their livelihood. The sheer size of the incident means we don’t have the resources to help as we’d like, and that’s tragic.”

This is just one chapter in an ongoing saga of adversity in the Texas High Plains. The region’s water crisis, fueled by the rapidly declining Ogallala Aquifer, is compounding these challenges. The aquifer was once a lifeline for agriculture, but its declining levels are forcing farmers and ranchers to adapt to scarce water supplies. Solutions such as rotating irrigation and planting cover crops are critical for preserving soil health, said county extension agents Kristie Keys and Janelle Duffey of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “There are a lot of lessons we’ve learned from these catastrophes, but we know the next one is coming — it’s just a matter of when,” said Duffey in Parmer County.

Their county offices have been actively helping producers implement water conservation practices to extend the aquifer’s lifespan. Many producers are also cutting back on irrigated acres, using targeted watering methods and diversifying into cattle or hay production alongside cotton.

“We’re trying to implement cover crops that let farmers still profit,” Keys said. “But the goal is really to improve soil health.”

At the same time, the region’s agricultural inventory is in freefall. The 2022 drought forced Texas ranchers to cull cattle in unprecedented numbers. The state’s cattle inventory has dropped to 12 million head, the lowest since 1968, with Parmer County among the hardest hit.

Cotton has also faced setbacks. During the past decade, cotton harvests in Texas have fluctuated dramatically, from 5.5 million acres to less than half that amount in recent years. In 2023, cotton harvests fell to just over 2 million acres. Many farmers, like those in Lubbock County, are now questioning whether it’s worth continuing cotton farming due to rising input costs and uncertain water availability.

Texas A&M AgriLife, working with county officials, has been crucial in helping producers adapt. One key initiative is AgriLife’s wildfire education program, which, along with local officials, has taught farmers and ranchers how to protect their land and livestock.

Duffey credits the program with saving the town of Canadian when wildfire prevention techniques were implemented, showing how local efforts can make a real difference in life threatening situations.

But the challenges continue.

“Input costs are now higher than what we can make off the crop,” said Brant Baugh, Lubbock County extension agent. Balancing irrigation and livestock needs with dwindling water resources is increasingly difficult, putting financial pressure on producers. Many are turning to county extension agents for help in managing their operations.

Despite these challenges, farmers and ranchers in the Texas Panhandle remain determined. Their survival depends on adaptation, a relentless drive to endure and a deep sense of community.